Of Darkness and the Light
by Darthkvzn
Summary: She's always been dark, just not as much the last few years. When young heroes are lost to the Light, she'll have to step out of the shadows she cloaks herself with. *Slightly AU* Set after YJ season 2.
1. The Hybrid's Prelude

**Hiya! If you know my usual works, I'll bet you're wondering: why is he writing DC heroes? Well, heck, I love superheroes. They're my favorite thing to write, aside from sociopaths. If you're asking yourself if this is related to my Marvel universe, the short answer is no. The long answer...will take a lot more fics and time to give.**

 **And if you're here 'cause you think this sounds cool (unlikely, given I suck at titles), I hope you stick around! Raven is in for the conspiracy of her life. Read on! - Darthkvzn**

* * *

I never would've guessed I had a knack for business, but, then again, I never would've guessed the many things I'd gone through in my short life. From being sired by the most evil creature in the universe, to becoming a superhero to atone for the _actual apocalypse_ I caused, to even falling for someone I'd never considered as anything more than my annoying, immature friend.

It was a shame that one didn't last.

My name is Rachel Roth. Daughter to Arella Roth and Trigon the Terrible. I am the last survivor of the interdimensional realm of Azarath, one of the Earth's most powerful magic users, and a founding member of the now defunct Teen Titans.

I also own and operate the White Raven, a nice tea shop/bookstore cozily located in downtown Seattle.

When Starfire's sister crash-landed on Earth, beaten and bloodied, we knew our royal friend would not hesitate to do her duty to the people of Tamaran. We knew that, relationship with an earthling notwithstanding, her people would always come first. I don't think Dick ever expected otherwise, either.

Star's goodbye was tearful, even from me. I may or may not have busted a couple of lightbulbs nearby. My days of 'people come, people go' were far since over, and it showed. I was going to miss my best friend, the light side to my darkness, and I couldn't even fault her. If leaving is what it took to save the monks of Azarath, to bring my home back to life, that's what I would've done.

Without the heart, the Teen Titans simply could not continue to be. Robin followed, shortly after Star. I knew all about his exploits, with the Team. I knew he'd broken cleanly with them after finding out about Jason Todd being his 'replacement' as Robin. Leading the Teen Titans had given him the balance and stability that had been vacant from his life after the rupture. Hearing about Jason's death, well...it broke something in him. Perhaps it was guilt. In public, he said he was quitting the hero business. In private, with his friends, he took off the domino mask for the first time.

Richard Grayson would be Robin no more. The name was too tainted for him to bear any longer.

Nightwing. Decked entirely in black, with a blue bird emblazoned in his chest, the dark attire seemed to reflect his newly changed views on life. And so, quietly, he slipped away, to parts unknown, leaving us no way to reach him, or even know where he was. Well, most of us. I knew enough.

Cyborg tried to lead us. My big brother figure was not a bad leader by any stretch of the imagination, but...he lacked a certain something that Robin had had. He knew it, too. Of all of us, he was the oldest, having even helped the Justice League in their formation, yet he was also the most insecure. He doubted himself and his decisions. And so, he wisely decided to leave as well, taking the long standing offer from the League to join up. Things were very tense in the tower, when he announced his departure. Garfield saw not an opportunity to grow and develop, but rather an abandonment of duty. Jump City and the Teen Titans had given Gar an opportunity the Doom Patrol never had.

I couldn't blame him for breaking it off with me when I announced I was leaving, too.

We'd just been dating for a few months then. Shortly after Star's departure. I had started finding him attractive for about a year before that.

What can I say? Perhaps my libido was finally free to voice its desires when it no longer had the threat of an all-powerful demon hanging over it.

I won't lie, I loved it. I loved him, even. He was sweet, and goofy, and caring. He knew when to stop and let me breathe, and when to push my boundaries, to explore things I'd never thought possible. The first few weeks of our relationship were filled with a fair share of violent explosions shrouded by black aurae.

I might've seen a future with him. The green changeling and the grey she-demon. Perhaps not the most orthodox of pairings, and certainly not one that would produce a big, happy family, what with my being barren, and his genetics being so unstable. But I could've been happy with him. Part of me wanted to be.

The other part was too scared to even think about it.

Demonic father or not, I was still dangerous. My well developed neutral personality was not so much for my own protection, as it was for that of innocent people. Garfield had shown me I could hold back on my aloof demeanor...but a big part of me was still scared of what I could be the cause of if I let myself slip too far.

Without anyone other than Gar to stop me, I couldn't risk it. And so I proposed to myself a sabbatical. To take a year to travel the world, as a civilian. No powers, no heroic feats; just some time to really try and find myself in a life and world no longer under my father's shadow.

I offered Gar a place beside me on that journey. He didn't take it.

So I flew, all the way to Blüdhaven. Dick was quick to greet me, though he was not as keen to see me. Even though we met in shadows, he did not want his new enemies to connect him to his prior identity, or worse, to the secret one. Nevermind that the Titans were really only famous in California (and Tokyo, of course), there was always the chance that someone knew enough to connect the dots.

I asked for something simple. A civilian name and life. One that could get me around the world without raising red flags all around. Maybe, to a regular, run-of-the-mill forger, it might've been a challenge, but I was asking the son of Batman. A quick trip to his base and a glamour charm of my own creation were enough to turn Raven the Titan into Rachel Roth, the book nerd.

There's no better way to say it: I wandered. Dick jokingly gave me an 'allowance' of several thousands of dollars each week, plus paying for my airfare whenever he could get away with it. I was very uncomfortable with it at first, but it was useless to argue against him. He may not have shown it much in his time as our leader, but I knew he had a mischievous side to him.

And heavens forbid he do something with his absurd amounts of money less conspicuous than paying for my travels. I could just see him buying me the entire catalogue of Victoria Secret's Naughty Girl nightwear as a prank. In pink, no less.

I learned, saw, read, ate, and experienced a lot. Enough to know that I was no longer the social pariah I used to be, even if I was still nowhere near Starfire's level of social interaction. And when I felt myself stabilized, when I felt comfortable enough with my control over my powers and emotions not to immediately endanger innocents when I was sad or happy, I came back.

I tried to find Garfield again, but he did not want to be found. Left as the sole hero of Jump, he'd abandoned the Tower, preferring to patrol the city randomly. I stayed for a week, and I did not see him. Perhaps, I didn't search well enough.

Maybe I was afraid of who I'd find instead of the Garfield I remembered.

I fled, then. Found myself in Washington, drawn in by the naturally rainy area, and the cultural ambiance. Dick followed me there, asking if I'd stay.

When I said yes, he dropped a bundle of keys, a phone, and a photograph. He then hugged me, and wished me good luck before jumping out of the window of the hotel room I was staying out.

The keys led me to Seattle's downtown, where a closed, two story building stood. Inside, rows upon rows of books gave away what Nightwing's gift consisted of: a bookstore prepped for business, and decent living quarters in the second floor. I might've shed a tear or two, just considering the sheer change in circumstances from the first time I travelled to Earth, afraid of my own fate, to having a blank canvass as a life ahead of me.

It was a good year. Whether by design (aka Wayne influence), or by good fortune, my business boomed. I added the whole tea making situation by myself, deciding it was a good match. My strict no coffee policy both confused my clients, and made my store somewhat unique, but it made the place all the more popular.

All in all, it appeared I'd left the superhero life behind. I trained enough to keep myself combat ready; Dick had made it clear that, magic user or not, I had to be prepared to use my arms and legs, just in case. His regime was too brutal, even for my half demonic constitution, but eventually he came up with exercise I could do every day, as well as basic and advanced CQB forms.

Like all good things, it didn't last.

* * *

 **This story takes elements from: Teen Titans, the TV series; Justice League: War, the animated movie, and Young Justice, as far as DC Comics material goes. Of course, when you know that I love crossovers, you also know there might be a few more fandoms here and there, but nothing major.**

 **The timeline is this: the attempted invasion by Darkseid that formed the JL took place in 2005. Robin (Dick Grayson) was adopted in 2006, at age 9, almost immediately taking up the cape and mask. The Team (it isn't called Young Justice, I found out) was founded in 2010. Robin was 13, Speedy 16, Kid Flash 15, and Aqualad 24 (headcanon dictates humans mature 1.5 times faster than Atlanteans, so Kaldur is roughly Roy's age). Then there's M'gann, age 48 (equivalent to 15) and Artemis was 15.**

 **Robin parted ways with the team at 14, so the Titans were formed in 2011. Beast Boy was 13 at the time, Cyborg was 19, Starfire 18 (equivalent 15), and Raven at 14. The Titans operate for 3 years or so before disbanding, in 2014.**

 **Lastly, I'd like to ask that you be so kind as to mention anything I might be missing. I've only been rewatching YJ for a bit, and TT I've not watched in ages. Shoot me a PM or a review, kind reader! Until next time - Darthkvzn**


	2. The Red Cat's Mystery

**A familiar face, and the start of the mystery. Enjoy chapter 2! - Darthkvzn**

* * *

It all started with a tabby cat.

Granted, it was a _red_ tabby cat, but still, not exactly the most glamorous start to an odyssey.

I'd just closed the shop for the day, shooing some of my more loyal customers away. It'd been a tiring day, not unlike most others. My pre-sleep ritual consisted of a shower, half an hour of meditation, and another half spent reading whatever book I'd chosen for the night. I liked keeping up with the newer books that came to the shop, if for nothing else than having something to recommend to my customers.

Then came the constant _meows_. Cats were not an uncommon sight around my store, so I paid it no mind, for a while. Sometimes I'd leave milk outside, but that night was one of the exceptions.

Still, the cat was determined. Aside from refusing to stop his calls, it started knocking some loose tiles around, until one of them fell to the ground with a resounding _crack_.

I didn't exactly have the patience to just let it be for the rest of the night, so I went outside, grabbing a broom on the way. The cat looked at me with inquisitive eyes, which I expected. I did not, however, expect the unique coloring it had.

The cat was larger than most. It was various shades of crimson, from a light auburn to a deep maroon. It held my eyes with a disturbingly intelligent gaze for two seconds...then bolted inside my house. I followed after a brief moment of shock, my eyes glowing white before remembering I was a civilian, and thus not supposed to glow unnaturally. It might've upset the neighbors.

I did not expect to find Garfield Logan there, turning from red to green before my eyes. He looked at me expectantly, though he looked much more tired and haggard than I remembered him. He was clutching his side, grimacing at some hidden pain, as he did not appear outwardly injured. He gave me a small smile, probably amused that I'd been damn near gawking at his unexpected visit.

I decided to kick him down a notch.

-"You must be the bane of the color-blind." -I said, drily.

Garfield barked a gasping laugh, though it quickly stopped, eliciting a wince. "Damn, Rae. Your mom never told you to avoid making a wounded man laugh?" -he said, plopping down on one of my sofas.

-"She did not. Too busy being horribly murdered by an interdimensional demon." -I answered. "Also, it's Rachel, now. Not Raven. Or Rae, for that matter." -I added, somewhat curtly. The man was getting dirt all over the lounge, after all.

-"Sorry. Kind of been out of it for a while. So, you're a civvie now, huh?" -he asked, apologetically.

I nodded, daintily sitting down, in stark and intentional contrast to him.

-"Welcome to the White Raven, I suppose." -I said.

He nodded, looking around. "The books and tea thing suits you. I gotta say, though, I'm kinda surprised there's nothing gothic or even remotely depressing here. Y'know, scowling crows, or cursed mirrors for your patrons to stumble through." -he snickered.

I glared at him. "First of all, my mirror is not _cursed_ , it is _enchanted_. And second of all, unlike _some_ people, I had to grow up. Darkness suits me, but it is not who I am." -I said.

Garfield put his hands up in surrender. "Alright, I get it. Sorry for implying otherwise. I haven't had anyone to banter with in a long time, y'know? And with all that's been happening lately...well, I'm sort of on edge." -he admitted.

I raised my eyebrow, curious. "I assume that's the reason of your visit?"

-"Well, it was also an excuse to actually see you. I've missed you, Rav- I mean, Rachel." -he said.

I pursed my lips, but said nothing. I wasn't having that conversation yet.

-"Hey, it's alright. I was a jerk, and you needed to find yourself. I can understand that. But I need your help." -he said, almost pleadingly.

-"What's been happening?" -I asked, afraid to know the answer.

-"Heroes have been disappearing, Rachel. Not the big ones; the small timers, and the sidekicks. The younger ones. It started with Terra, actually."

I blinked. "Terra? As in the friend-turned-enemy-turned-friend-turned-statue?" -I asked.

-"Turned friend again, you missed. Or at least, I like to think she would, if she hadn't been taken." -he nodded grimly.

-"How did she break free? I tried everything, and I couldn't turn her back…" -I said, sad to admit my failure.

I'd given it my all, even though I wasn't exactly fond of the girl. She had, after all, sacrificed herself to make things right, and taken Slade down with her, albeit temporarily. If not my friendship, she had my respect.

-"I couldn't tell you, Rae. All I know, is I was on my way to present my respects, when I found her weird mummy outfit in tatters all around her pedestal, and this." -he said, pawing at his pockets to grab a medallion which I recognized as Slade's insignia, the one she'd had on her chest. It was cracked, and bloody.

My face must've looked slightly disturbed, because he nodded, like he shared my opinion.

-"I had it scanned by Cyborg. Had a hell of a time finding the guy, now that he's on the big leagues, but he owed me for getting him back in touch with Jinx, so he took a couple of days off. It's her blood, alright; it even has some deactivated nanites mixed in, so we know it came from her. There wasn't a lot, so I'm holding out hope for her survival, but that's not the most disturbing news." -he explained.

He took out a disc, reminiscent of the Titan Communicator, only much sleeker, and probably more high tech. I wouldn't know. Technology wasn't exactly my forté. He pressed its surface, and light burst from it: a hologram.

The familiar faces of Robin, a red-headed teenager she recognized as an atlantean due to her gills, Kid Flash, Speedy and Nightwing appeared out of thin air.

-"Jason Todd, Tula of Poseidonis, Wally West, the original Roy Harper, and Dick Grayson, all reported KIA or missing in action, in chronological order. Add in Tara Markov, a.k.a. Terra, at the end of that list, and you've got six missing young heroes." -he stated.

I was...confused. "I thought you said some of them were confirmed as dead?" -I asked. He nodded.

-"Yeah. Robin, Aquagirl, and Terra. Kid Flash disappeared in the arctic a few months ago, Roy Harper went missing two months back, and nobody, and I mean _nobody_ has seen Dick in three weeks. Add to that the death of Jason, two years ago, and Tula, some 11 months back, and you've got a pattern. At least, that's what the Team and I've figured out. And it all reeks of Cadmus." -he added grimly.

I scowled. The Titans had some experience with the shadowy group; HIVE Academy and Brother Blood had apparently been on their payroll.

-"Are you suggesting those deaths and disappearances were staged? And what's this about a team?" -I asked.

He was about to answer, when suddenly, an arrow whizzed by me and pierced his chest.

* * *

 **What's with Beast Boy's changing colors? Why is he injured? Could the dead heroes be truly alive? And will Garfield join them in that uncertainty? Stick around and find out! - Darthkvzn**


	3. The Interdimensional Brawl

**I'll be perfectly honest with y'all. Writing heroes might be easy, but writing Marvel and DC at the same time? Not so. I have to dedicate entirely different lines of thought to each, because the themes and overall ambiance and characters are completely different. Whatever, the chapter's here! I'm sorry I took so long! Enjoy - Darthkvzn**

* * *

I was oddly reminded of my 16th birthday, in which I somehow stopped time. It certainly felt familiar, as I watched the arrow painfully burrow itself into my ex-a-lot-of-things' sternum.

Garfield, who'd been sitting on the arm of the couch, was thrown backwards, groaning when he fell.

In about a quarter of a second, I knew a few things: one, it was more than likely that either the League of Shadows, or a member of the Arrow family was after Garfield, since no one really used the obsolete weapon aside from them; two, he'd led them to my home, and thus blown my civilian cover, for which I would have payback, provided he survived; and three, the attacker was just a room away, at my back, and probably about to shoot an arrow at me, too.

Well, I couldn't exactly let that happen, right?

I conjured up a black shield in a split second, and felt, more than heard, when the second arrow hit. I stood, slowly backing into Garfield, while looking at the attacker.

I ruefully thought to myself: _Found one_.

Though my shield, and indeed, my powers, tinged the world completely black, while leaving only white outlines, I recognized the man: it was, without a doubt, Roy Harper, even if he looked younger than he should've, and I didn't remember the metallic arm currently pointing what looked like a miniature crossbow at me, but the hard lines in his expression were recognizable enough.

As two black-clad men filed in behind him, I actually smirked inwardly. Two for two on my amateurish deduction skills.

-"Lower the shield, Raven, and perhaps we'll leave you, and this place intact." -he said gruffly.

I rolled my eyes, though they probably couldn't tell because of the white glow. And, y'know, the shield.

-"Unlikely on both fronts, I think."

The man narrowed his eyes. "How long will you be able to keep it up, I wonder? We are very patient men."

I could keep it up for _quite_ a while, in fact, but he didn't need to know that. "Are you? Shooting the wounded man instead of the witch who can take all of you...not very patient. Or manly." -I said, feigning some nerves.

Roy's frown deepened. "Taking your life wasn't part of the mission. It can still be that way. What has _Beast Boy_ done for you, other than break your heart?"

-"Not lie to my face, for one. I recall having to stop an arrow meant for my heart ten seconds ago."

He growled, pointing the crossbow at my face. "Last chance, _witch_. Leave the dying man to us and I'll reconsider your death."

I glared at him. "You're right. It'll be harder if I wait further."

Ever since I'd settled in, I'd gone ahead and placed some customized wards as traps in case something like this might happen. They _should've_ activated by themselves, but I suspected Garfield's presence and his status as a friendly had kept them dormant.

That was easily fixed.

I pushed my hands outwards as the former sidekick shot an explosive arrow. My shield held, turning the blast towards them, and making them scatter.

-" _ **Azarath Metrion Zinthos**_!" -I shouted, and the wards flared to life, angry black raven talons sprouting from the walls, grabbing and holding down the three goons against the ceiling. Harper's metal arm glowed red and shot at the black energy, which dissipated.

Behind me, I could feel Gar's life force slipping away. I needed out, quickly. My cover was blown, the business was likely over, and Rage was starting to gnaw on my psyche.

I was thoroughly annoyed.

My astral form was projected, engulfing everyone in the house and transporting us away. I chose Azarath as the destination, since there was no one to hurt there.

Garfield was unconscious and the travel didn't affect me, but the other three were clearly disoriented. I pushed one of the ninjas through a damaged column, and flung the other against a broken fountain. Then I turned to face the former sidekick, just in time to block another crossbow arrow. Bolt. Whatever.

-"Where the _hell_ are we?" -he asked, thoroughly angry.

-"Hell, actually. My own. I hope you enjoy it, since I have no time to enjoy dealing with you."

Before he could fully process what I meant, I transported us back to Earth.

* * *

Healing was easy. A delicate process, sure, but I was fairly talented at it. Azar had often joked about it. Who could've imagined Trigon's daughter would be good at something _besides_ death and destruction?

The wait, that's what complicated things. Healing was not foolproof. I could do the best job possible, and still lose the patient, depending on the wound. Magic was fickle that way.

Considering my patient, I was, I'll admit it, somewhat afraid.

Staring at his sweat-covered face, his features contorted in unconscious pain...well, it brought back some rather bittersweet memories. I'd given Gar everything I could possibly offer. And he'd given me some highly enjoyable experiences back, enough to make any priest faint - though I suppose my demonic heritage would be cause enough. He'd genuinely broken my heart, and yet I didn't fully blame him. We had all, in our own way, abandoned him.

For better or worse, I wasn't planning on doing that anymore. Not for awhile, at least, which brought a whole new set of problems, the least of which was evidenced by the storm of clothing covered in black energy currently flying around into my bag, which was about as full as a clown car. Space enhancements were a brilliant idea, for which I would love Hermione forever. Believe it or not, I drew some ideas from popular wizard novels. The old tomes weren't very imaginative, to be honest.

I was fairly surprised that more ninjas hadn't popped up yet. The League of Shadows wasn't known for giving up their targets, unless Batman was involved. I wasn't sure what my next step should be: assuming Garfield wouldn't keel over in the next few minutes, I was going to have to move.

Leaving the White Raven behind was hard. It had given me comfort, happiness, and anonymity. And yeah, people might've liked me as a heroine, but I was still not fully human. The stares and double-takes had never actually stopped until I started wearing the charm. I'd made friends here, and while I loved the Titans, those friendships had been born out of necessity, not leisure like the new ones.

Seeking help from the Justice League was a no-go. They'd never really approved of the Titans anyway, and most of them fully hated my guts for causing the end of the world. Justified, I suppose.

Dick had once assured me Batman would take me in, if necessary. I wasn't keen on risking it, though. I hadn't really met the Dark Knight personally, but Dick's memories had portrayed Bruce Wayne as a harsh man indeed. I wasn't sure he'd offer us asylum, friends of his son or not.

Garfield had mentioned Cyborg, though. I'd fallen out of contact with him after his acceptance into the League, but we'd been almost like siblings before. Barring a miraculous appearance from Dick, it was looking like Victor would be the man to find. He'd know how to better treat Garfield, too.

That left the matter of how to find him. Gar said he'd been in contact with him, but I wasn't sure how long ago that had been. I rummaged through his pockets and found a burner phone. My subpar tech skills got me to the single number on it, registered to 'Cy'.

Taking a deep breath, I pressed 'call'.

* * *

 **I really wanted a longer chapter, but it didn't turn out that way. It's alright, I think. Do you think so too? I'll give you a silly confession: I lost the plot of this story. That's alright, though. I found a much better one than the one I had before, and it won't affect the first couple of chapters. What the other one was, well, it was a mess. So let's hope this one isn't. Until next time! - Darthkvzn**


	4. A Return To Form

**I'm terribly sorry for the long wait! At least I can prove that this story is NOT dead. Just very, very slow.**

* * *

A hot shower in Cyborg's guest bathroom later, I stood in front of the mirror.

I'll admit, I hesitated - for a year, I'd gotten used to my warm, caucasian skin tone, and the short brown hair. Cyborg's single raised eyebrow had been very clear, however.

That's not who I was.

I took the charm off, seeing rather than feeling the pale gray of my half-demonic skin return, and my hair turning dark purple. My irises also changed from a dull green to a vivid lilac.

Raven was coming back. Whether that was a good thing or not, I still didn't know.

I put on some casual clothes, still not quite ready to wear my old leotard and hooded cape, heading out to meet my older brother figure.

Cyborg was looking well. Better adjusted, and more like the Justice League member he always should've been. He'd replaced the blue armored pieces with dark gray ones, which gave him a more mature and serious air - even if he looked _slightly_ of out of place in his two bedroom apartment.

"Hey Raven. Grass stain's nice and stable. And you're looking like you again." -he said with a smirk.

It was good to know that, despite the changes, he was still very much my Cyborg.

"Great. If an arrow did him in, I'd never let him live it down."

Cyborg chuckled. "I know, right? Little fella beat up Slade and Speedy's gonna take him down? No way."

I offered a small smile. "So, you know, then."

The man sighed. "The whole damn League does. Arsenal disappeared a while back - of course Green Arrow is going crazy for him."

"He's not gonna find him anytime soon." -I said quietly.

Cyborg's single eyebrow raised. "What...what did you _do_ to him?" -he asked somewhat fearfully.

I rolled my eyes. "The former archer lives, for now. Trapped in Azarath."

"Right. I guess an interdimensional timeout is just what the doctor ordered."

I scoffed. "He deserved a lot more. I was feeling merciful, since my old flame was _kind_ of dying."

Cyborg shook his head. "I don't know what's more depressing, you talking about this so nonchalantly, or admitting to dating Tofu Boy."

My patented Death Stare made an appearance, and Cyborg raised his hands in defeat. "Sorry. Force of habit."

I took a deep, calming breath. "Anyway. We need help."

"Well you already have me on board. I'm on leave from the League, and even if I wasn't, Titan business takes precedence." -he said, giving a thumbs-up.

I crossed my arms. "They know that? Or is that just your 'stick it to the man' attitude showing up?"

He shrugged, which I'll admit looked hilarious with his ample shoulder pauldrons. "Bit of both. They respect what the Titans achieved, even if they never liked us being autonomous. Well, as much as one could be on Robin's dime."

"So, not much." -I noted. He winked his assent. "What about him? Have you had any contact lately?"

"Not since he lost the cape. Far as I know, you're the lucky one on that front, if what you told me before is true." -he said. I _had_ kept contact with Victor, and I'd told him all about my sponsor.

I sighed. "Don't remind me. I miss my civilian life already."

Cyborg seemed skeptical. "You tellin' me you prefer running a shop to saving the world on a regular basis?"

I turned away for a second. "I wouldn't turn my back on Earth, should it need me...but I _liked_ not being needed."

"I guess. I just don't think denying who you are is very healthy, and believe me, I know _all_ about denial. And maybe who you are is not a Titan anymore, but it's hard to believe you're not a heroine at your core." -he mused.

I rolled my eyes. "Right, the good half-demon."

"Which is part of what makes you amazing. Not the demon DNA, but rather that you've overcome that nature and fight against evil."

I looked down. " _Fought_ against evil. The closest I've come to it in years was stopping a man who tried robbing my store."

Cyborg gasped amusedly. "No _way_. What'd you do to him?"

I smirked evilly. "Jammed his gun and flipped him into a table."

Victor laughed loudly. "Oh, man. Wish I could've seen that."

"Oh, I'm sure there's a video of it somewhere online." -I said. Then I frowned. "Just what are we gonna do, Cyborg? Starfire is gone, Robin is missing, Beast Boy is down...and we can expect no help from the Justice League."

Cyborg shook his head. "Not quite. I made a few calls while you were in the shower. Follow me."

I raised an eyebrow, but complied. He led the way with half-a-ton steps down to his basement, where I spotted a covered up washing machine, a sizable rack of tools, a huge workbench, and a large square metal panel, twice as tall and thrice as wide as he was.

He pressed a few buttons and it slid open, revealing a cylindrical metal tunnel. It began to spin, and the air within it became charged with yellow particles. It was strangely familiar, but I couldn't place why.

" _Recognized: Batman-02_." -a panel to its side said in a female voice.

There are few words appropriate to describe being in the presence of Batman. Logically, I knew he was just a man -one who'd trained himself to the peak of human ability, and whose IQ was probably higher than the combined intelligence of the entire League, but still- and yet I couldn't help but be a little afraid. I'd faced the Devil himself, and this rich jerk dressed like a bat was scarier. The Dark Knight of Gotham strode out in all his dark glory, his body hidden by a pitch black cape, and his eyes covered by white lenses, like Robin used. Only his well shaven cheeks were visible, as even his chin was covered by some kind of guard.

The machine kept spinning. " _Batgirl-B16_ "

Batman was joined by a short young woman, wearing a similar cowl and uniform to his. A long mane of red hair protruded from the back of her headgear, and her blue eyes were uncovered. I knew who she was already: Barbara Gordon, daughter of the Police Commissioner of Gotham City, and one of Dick's oldest friends. I could feel her stare boring through my skull, a clear reminder that, 17-year old teen though she may be, she was still one of Batman's protegés, and as such, a force to be reckoned with.

"Batman, thank you for coming." -said Cyborg, standing a little straighter.

The Caped Crusader gave him the barest of nods, then he turned to me. "Rachel Roth?" -he asked.

I shook my head. "Raven will do."

Batman narrowed his eyes for a second, then he turned towards the machine's panel, Cyborg moving to his side, leaving me with Batgirl.

"You know who I am, don't you?" -she asked.

I stared at her. "Maybe." -I said testily.

She crossed her arms. "Lose the attitude. We care about him too, you know. He might've spent his 'golden years' with you, but he was his _son_ and my friend, before anyone else's."

"That's awfully arrogant of you."

"So's your scowl. This isn't a competition. Whatever you may think of Batman and us, whatever Dick showed you, you only got _his_ side of the story. We're helping you, so be thankful and quit it with the glare."

I was a _bit_ incensed, but Batman chose that moment to step in. "If you two are _quite_ done, we need to get going." -he said, his tone brokering no arguments, then he looked at me. "You'll need to conceal your identity, where we're going." -he said, then nodded at Batgirl, who produced a small package from the back of her utility belt, and handed it to me.

"It's a Wayne Tech design, but Dick had a hand in it. I guess he saw you going back into the fight sooner, rather than later." -she explained.

Before I could protest, Batman gave me his legendary squint. "Change quickly. We leave in ten."

* * *

For the second time that day, I found myself staring at my reflection, trying to recognize the woman staring back. The suit was certainly a change from the leotard, even if it clearly drew _some_ inspiration from it.

Gone were the elf-like shoes, replaced with thigh-high boots. The new suit covered almost my entire body, from my ankles, almost all the way to my jaw. The all-but-nude nature of my old leotard was also a thing of the past, as the black fabric had all sorts of padding in key areas, such as the ribs. It was completely bulletproof -unnecessarily so, given my dense demonic skin had me covered in that aspect- and while it still hugged my figure, it looked more like a very light armor than a suit, similar to Batgirl's style. A utility belt like my old one hung tightly around my waist, complete with the raven symbol, and to top everything off the cowl and cape were styled to give my head an avian appearance, much like my old one. It was colored a dark blue, and supposedly fire retardant, like Robin's cape, and it made me look almost the same as before, when I fully wrapped it around me.

There were a few ancillary components, like a breathing apparatus to help me survive underwater or in space, that connected with a miniaturized oxygen fabricator between my shoulder blades, and a few magnetic strips that I activated on my back and thighs for holding things, but I didn't pay much attention to those. Only at my reflexion, and the growing dread at the prospect of returning to the life I'd left behind.

At the end of the day, I had little choice. As Cyborg had said, at my core, I was still a heroine, no matter what I looked like. I wondered for how long Dick had known I'd be returning to the fight.

Not wanting to keep the bats waiting, I stepped out of the bathroom and walked towards the basement.

Raven was back.

* * *

 **So I have this headcanon that Raven is pretty damn durable. She did need to survive to become the portal for her father, and she was sired from an archdemon. In my mind, she's bulletproof, and she can survive indefinitely underwater and in space, provided she has an oxygen supply. Fire, lava, and hellfire are harmless to her. She's not nearly as durable as, say, Starfire or Cyborg, but she can certainly take a beating. Just a tidbit! See you next time!**


	5. Extraterrestrial

He'd only ever heard of Azarath the one time. A legend, of a promised land, far away, for the needy, the sick, and the lonely, where they could feel welcome and safe.

What a _waste_ of good magic.

At least it was mostly destroyed, now. He could feel the subdued healing energies, and the lingering demonic ones that had reduced this realm to ghosts and rubble. They called to him, a thousand ethereal voices vying for his attention. In truth, they scared him ever so slightly; they told him of a being who even him, Klarion, Lord of Chaos, could not hope to equal. That the child had managed to destroy him was utterly unbelievable. He would need to confront her, test her...but not yet. There was still, as always, work to be done.

The archer was there, unconscious. The ninjas beside him were most definitely dead. It surprised him, that the witch had not spared the mercy to let them live. It betrayed her current state of mind. Shocked, angered...maybe a little arrogant. Whether she was justified or not, they'd soon find out.

His familiar walked all over the archer. " _Teekl! We do not walk over the person we're here to...rescue._ " -he said sternly.

The cat seemed to pout, but it jumped off. He rolled his eyes, walking forward, before faltering, his presence momentarily interrupted. Trans-dimensional travel was... _technically_ impossible, without an anchor. Teekl kept him rooted to Earth, but it was a physical, living being, and the realm of Chaos was a sub-dimension of Earth's reality, not an entirely different one. The only thing keeping him in Azarath was a locating spell he'd put on the redhead beneath him. Without it, he would not have been able to cross into this realm. In fact, once he returned to Earth, he would not be able to repeat the feat.

It made the she-demon... _special_. No one else in the known universe could do it. And so the Light was in the unfortunate position of needing her... _help_.

Grabbing onto the unconscious young man, he let go of his grip, and returned to Earth.

* * *

I learned two things as soon as I stepped out of the teleporter. The first one was that, whatever the yellow particles used by the machine were, they did _not_ sit well with me. I felt like every cell in my body was in the process of disintegrating for the nanosecond that the trip lasted, an uncomfortable reminder of my death, becoming the Portal. In fact, I almost fainted upon arrival.

The second thing I learned, is that we were no longer on Earth, but rather above it.

The Watchtower was a well kept secret. Only the highest echelons of the government knew about it, and only the current members of the Justice League had access to it. The general population had no idea that a fully armed and operational battle station hovered above them at all times - even though its guns were pointed strictly away from the planet.

Having been the last to go through, I immediately got caught and stabilized by Batgirl, who raised an eyebrow at me.

"Magic user, right?" -she asked knowingly.

I gave her a slightly nauseous nod.

She nodded. "Your kind usually feels mild discomfort from the Zeta rays. Now that you've been here, you should be able to teleport instead."

I wouldn't call it 'mild discomfort' in a million years, but I nodded nonetheless.

Batman was looking at me oddly, but said nothing. Cyborg had disappeared, presumably carrying Gar off to the Watchtower's medical center. The Dark Knight turned, and Batgirl nodded for me to join them. The billionaire led us through a series of wide corridors, in which a saw some familiar (and legendary) faces. Black Canary, Supergirl, and Red Tornado all passed us by, sparing a nod for Batman and even Batgirl, but avoiding my gaze like the plague.

Like I said, the League hated me.

When I first stumbled out of an interdimensional portal onto Earth, fleeing from my Father's rage, I knew nothing of the planet. My mother had never been one to talk about her years as an Earthling, and the monks of Azar had lived on Azarath for so long that they could not remember their homeworld.

My portal had taken me to the outskirts of Metropolis. I had arrived with nothing but the ragged robes on my body, and a desperate desire to hide myself away. I could feel the Library, calling to me, reminding me of the purpose of my birth. I don't know what resonated the most, my portal's magical energy, or the demonic aura I was surely giving off, but what I do know is that I drew a _lot_ of attention.

Superman, _being Superman_ , came first. My first glimpse of a superhero was also the best of them all. His heavenly visage was marred by a worried expression, but not because of what I might do, but from how I probably looked to him. Kryptonians must share the same feelings as humans, because I could sense worry, but not fear. He asked me who I was, and why I was there. I told him the truth. He did not believe me. At least, the part about me causing the end of the world.

Next, unfortunately, came the magic users. Zatara and Dr. Fate came in spells blazing, ready to take me out. Superman stopped them cold. I was only a fourteen year-old kid, in his eyes, completely undeserving of such treatment, regardless of my family tree. The wizards knew of Trigon, of course. They didn't know about the prophecy, but they very quickly figured out my purpose in the world, and told Superman as much. I confirmed once again what I'd come to Earth to do, but the Last Son of Krypton was resolute. Fate is not set in stone, he said. He could not abide by punishing someone for something she simply had not yet done. The magician and the avatar argued with the alien, but in the end, Kal-El's words carried enough weight that they promised to leave me alone, provided I did everything I could to prevent my demonic heritage from flourishing, and stayed out of their sights.

After that, I wandered a few weeks, which saw me delivered to Jump City. The rest is history, really. When I reverted the damage my Father had caused, I expected the League to come and take me in - or out. It didn't happen. Dick would later tell me that he'd filled Batman in. I can only assume he and Superman had stopped the rest of the League from coming after me. Why, I did not know. What I _did_ know, is that the League considered me dangerous, and possibly a criminal.

The bats led me to a large conference room, in which a group of young heroes was waiting. I barely recognized a few from Dick's memories, fellow founders of the Team; there was Superman's clone, the Martian girl, and the Atlantean, all of them about as old, or a little older than I was. The rest were younger, from about 15 to 18 years old. There were a _lot_ of them, which didn't really surprise me much. Dick had compiled a list of young superheroes from around the world we could probably count on for contingencies, and it numbered in the dozens. In fact, during my travels, I'd met with a couple of them; I still kept contact with Argent, and with my 'kids'.

The door closed behind us, and Batgirl left to join Aqualad's side. Batman addressed the young heroes. "Team, this is Raven. She is a close friend of Nightwing, and was recently attacked after Changeling made his way to her."

I saw a few concerned expressions, but it was clear they were not too close to Garfield.

Aqualad cleared his throat. "Was he injured?"

I nodded heavily. "An arrow, through his chest. I...tended to him, as best as I could. He should recover soon."

 _That_ got his attention. "Arsenal?" -he asked incredulously.

"Yes. As you might imagine, this is the first real lead we may have on the missing heroes." -Batman said.

Superboy was about to ask something when the door opened, revealing a _very_ angry Green Arrow. Unfortunately, that anger was manifested as an _arrow_ , currently pointed at my face.

"WITCH! _What have you done to my boy_?" -he asked, seething. Batman put himself in front of me.

"Stand _down_!" -he growled.

To his credit, Arrow stood his ground. " _You_ get _out_ of the way, _right now_!"

I could feel his emotions; contempt, rage...but there was some genuine worry in there. He was deathly afraid for his sidekick, and I couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for him, so I stepped from behind the Dark Knight and spoke.

"Arsenal lives. I transported us to Azarath, my home dimension, where I left him, along with two of his assassin companions. I cannot vouch for _their_ health, but your former sidekick should be fine." -I replied.

His nostrils flared. "And you plan on what, leaving him there to die?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Though Azarath is rubble, its magic survived through me. So long as he stays there, he will not want for anything. He will not age, or need sustenance. I _plan_ on getting him back, once I've figured out what the hell's going on."

Batman turned to me. "We need him now, Raven. Brainwashed or not, he has information on our enemies, something we sorely lack."

He turned to Green Arrow. "You'll see him as soon as we determine it to be safe, until then, _stay out of the way_."

The archer grit his teeth, but ultimately slung his bow on his back and fled. Batman then turned to the Team. "Miss Martian, Wonder Girl, Bumblebee and Batgirl: go with Raven, retrieve Arsenal. Take him to the Warehouse and interrogate him. The rest of you, be on alert." -he ordered, then he turned to Aqualad, who rose to follow him.

The heroines walked up to me, their faces a mix of determination, wariness, and excitement. I only sighed internally, raising a portal that swallowed us all.

* * *

 **Hey there! So we get our first glimpse into the Light, and their plans. With that, I'd like to tell you that I've figured out the entire story. Updates will be slow, so bear with me, but I have some awesome stuff planned! Hopefully you'll enjoy it. Until then!**


	6. The Winding Path of Immortality

**So, there are a few pre-chapter things I'd like to put out there. The aim with these early chapters is to show that Raven is scary, a powerful unknown, especially for the Team, who only really know about her that she's involved in demonic affairs and that she brought forth the apocalypse. The heroines with her do _not_ trust her yet, and I can't say if they will. It might read a little OOC, so do keep in mind my intent. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Seeing Azarath again was always bittersweet. It was a grim and constant reminder of my heritage, of the horror that had spawned me, and of the tragedy that had befallen Azar's realm. Though the fires left in his wake were long since extinguished, the smell of brimstone and scorched flesh lingered.

I dropped the portal, leaving the young women around me stumbling from the experience.

"Holy...what _was_ that?" -asked Wonder Girl.

I turned to her. "An interdimensional gateway. The only way to enter this realm."

The martian beside her shook her head. "Well, you might've _warned_ us."

"You fight supervillains on a weekly basis. A little cosmic trip shouldn't be much of a problem." -I said.

Bumblebee shook her head. "We're _fine_. Let's just grab Speedy and get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps."

 _And with good reason_ , I thought.

Batgirl gestured for me to lead the way, which I did. We walked past broken archways, shattered columns, and the scoring of hellfire blasts.

"So, what _is_ this place?" -asked Batgirl.

"This is... _used_ to be my home. It's where I grew up. It's called Azarath." -I told them.

Wonder Girl frowned. "And it's really in another dimension? Shouldn't things look a little more...I don't know, unfamiliar? This place looks kind of like Themiscyra."

"Azar, the monk who discovered this realm, was a human, of greek descent. I imagine the magic in this place was inspired by that. She was a very powerful mage...and a very good mentor." -I said forlornly. Azar had been thousands of years old by the time she met me, and one of the few in Azarath who still cared for Earth. She had kept a massive library, filled with magically obtained copies of mankind's best works. It was the one luxury she allowed herself, and by extension, me. I trained for years just to be able to read a book without warping reality around me just from the emotions I experienced. Of course, the library was nothing but scattered ashes by now.

I felt concern from the Martian's direction. "Is anyone else hearing that?"

She was talking about the voices, of course. "I'm surprised you can hear anything at all. Few non-magical people can sense ghosts."

Her concern turned to disbelief, and just a pinch of fear. " _Ghosts_. As in the spirits of dead people?"

I nodded. "As I said, Azarath was a place of healing and peace. Its magic shielded mortals from illness, injury...even death, given enough time. Immortality is a double-edged sword, however. The soul is inherently indestructible, but once you become immortal, you're anchoring it to whatever plane of existence you're in, denying it the chance to pass on. And if your body happens to be destroyed...well, ghost stories are not entirely fiction." -I said.

The insect-themed heroine behind me squeaked. " _What_? So...you're saying the afterlife is actually a thing? Just like that?

I rolled my eyes. "I wouldn't know, I haven't died yet. What I _do_ know, is that regular souls do not stay after death. The people here were immortal. When Azarath was destroyed, their souls were trapped here for all eternity."

"How were they destroyed, then?" -asked the Martian.

I sighed internally. There was no way she didn't know, or at least strongly suspect, about my father. After all, she'd been affected by his coming, too, and she'd undoubtedly been inside Dick's mind since then.

"My _father_ caught up to me." -I grudingly admitted.

The alien crossed her arms. "So it's true, then. What the League says about you."

I stopped, turning to face her, my eyes glowing slightly. "And that would be?"

She faltered slightly. I could feel her mind probing at mine, wanting to see inside. _Don't_ , I thought, _not if you value your sanity_.

Batgirl must've noticed the lull in conversation because she picked it up. "M'gann is concerned that we're teaming up with an alleged she-demon to do this." -she said, then added with an annoyed tone, "She _should_ remember that it was _Batman's_ idea. Whoever Raven is, she's not a danger to us."

I raised an eyebrow at Batgirl's defense, seeing as how she'd been a little bit hostile in our initial meeting. I would have to try and figure her out later. "I'm only a half-demon. My mother was a human sorceress."

Wonder Girl looked impressed. "Either your father was a looker or…"

"Or." -I simply answered, unwilling to talk in detail about what was essentially Arella's supernatural rape.

She appropriately shut up. I continued to deal the way, though I could still feel the martian's emerald eyes burning through my skull. _I'm warning you out of the kindness of my heart. Do_ not _poke around my head_ , I thought. The probe grudgingly receded.

" _Why_ are we taking so long to get to Speedy? I would've thought you knew where you left him." -asked Bumblebee.

I rolled my eyes. "You _wanted_ me to drop you on top of a hostile cyborg?"

"We could've taken him." -she answered defiantly.

"I have no doubt, but that's not the point. He might have a trap prepared."

M'gann surprised me by nodding at her. "Raven's...right. This _is_ Roy Harper we're talking about. He didn't survive the Warworld just by luck."

"In _any_ case, he should be over this hill." -I said, pointing at the mound of rubble and dirt ahead of us.

Batgirl nodded. "Okay girls, stay frosty. Miss Martian and Bumblebee, take point. Go stealth and scout the area out. Wonder Girl, front and center. Raven and I will bring up the rear." -she ordered. I approved of the plan, though I was surprised to hear Batgirl as a leader. I would've thought the far more veteran M'gann would lead our impromptu squad.

Miss Martian gave me a last glance before turning near invisible, while Bumblebee simply shrank to the size of her namesake, sprouting wings and flying off. Thirty seconds passed until Wonder Girl briefly took to the skies and then landed right where I'd left Speedy, Batgirl and I jumping in behind her.

There was no one there. I don't think I expected there to be.

Batgirl narrowed her eyes, then brought up a holographic display from her hand, which quickly fizzled out. "What the…?" -she frowned.

"Technology and magic do not mix." -I reminded her.

"I _know_ that, but this is a mini-Batcomputer. It _should_ work, regardless of magical interference. The only kind of magic that does this is…" -she said, then her eyes widened, just in time for Bumblebee to turn full size and crash into the ground behind us.

I turned, eyes blazing. I saw Miss Martian locked in combat with a shadowed figure, with another like it leaping towards us.

It was a ninja. An assassin from the League of Shadows. How he still lived, I didn't know, but I could tell there was something wrong. He emitted no emotions, and as good an assassin as he might've been, he should still feel some sort of determination, or even glee at the prospect of murdering us. I was _sure_ I'd killed them…

The man threw a star at me, which I effortlessly dodged. I thrust my hand out, encasing him with my aura, and threw him at yet another pillar, which cracked from the impact. The man cracked a little, too, but it shook off the hit and charged again, this time bringing out a katana. Batgirl threw a batarang at him, which hit his hand. The man did not flinch, even as his hand started bleeding profusely. He sliced at Batgirl, but the redhead had no problem avoiding the deadly blade. She backflipped onto the top of a broken pillar, then threw a small disk at the ground before the man. It beeped twice and exploded in a brilliant flash, but the man did not stop even as he was blinded. Finally, Wonder Girl had enough of waiting on the sidelines and flew in to deliver a powerful punch which sent the black-clad man flying with a sickening crunch.

When the man rose again, struggling to move with a busted sternum, I figured out what we were dealing with.

"They're undead." -I said out loud. "We have to destroy them, or they'll keep coming."

"What do you _mean_ destroy them? They're people!" -said Batgirl, alarmed.

I shook my head, wreathing myself in a black aura. "Not anymore. Look away, if it's that much of an issue."

The power rush was heady. I hadn't utilized this much in years, literally, but I couldn't simply leave the undead alone. It was immoral, highly taboo, even amongst the seedier scholars of magic. The soul within was gone, replaced by magical driving force that kept the body going. It was a corruption of immortality, and especially in Azarath, it was akin to sacrilege. I let loose a torrent of black energy, which washed over the risen corpse, disintegrating it in a few seconds. I then turned to the second one, but found that Wonder Girl was having a grand time dismembering the undead, with Miss Martian holding it in place. They left only a leaking torso and head intact, the creature trying to snap at the two heroines uselessly. I magically created a fire on the floor, and grabbed the undead's pieces, dropping them into the flames.

"Wait! Leave that one intact. We still need to have something to show for our trip here." -said Batgirl, visibly distraught.

I frowned. "Arsenal could still be here." -I said, though to myself I thought that if he still was, then it might be better if it was just me who found his body.

The redhead shook her head. "He's not. The reason my computer didn't work is because this area is affected by chaos magic. The one type of magic the Batcomputer can't adapt to, since it's too, well, chaotic."

I felt the urge to facepalm. Of _course_ there'd be chaos magic involved in this little necromantic act. The Lords of Chaos should've been among her first suspects when it came to bringing the dead back to life. One question did remain, however.

"How the _hell_ did Klarion breach Azarath?"


	7. Reactionary

It wasn't hard to find my answer,

To cross dimensions, Klarion needed to have a physical presence. To have a physical presence, being a Lord of Chaos, he needed a host. A quick question to her disturbed companions proved her hypothesis.

She was starting to seriously dislike cats.

Once knowing what to look for, she found her evidence. Magic left its distinct mark on the physical objects and terrain around it, and chaos magic was no exception. She cast a charm that informed her of the previous acts of magic performed in the vicinity, and wasn't surprised when she found a simple transportation spell. That damned archer must've been tagged, otherwise it would have been impossible to breach Azarath's natural defenses. It's exactly how the realm had fallen; she'd been tagged from birth, and her father had simply followed the breadcrumbs. Him and a hundred-thousand Pyrons.

There was a bright side to it, though. The Lord of Chaos would be no threat to anyone for a while. Such a trip was not meant for him to make, and so he'd probably needed to sacrifice _something_ to achieve it. It's simply how magic worked. Most mages simply sacrificed energy, but some powers required far more.

"Who does the Witch Boy work with?" -I asked aloud. Chaos entities were certainly creative, but in a world ruled by Order, there was little more than mischief that they could do by themselves.

Miss Martian crossed her arms. "How do you know about Klarion?"

I sighed. "The magical community is kind of like a small town. Everyone knows each other, even if only by reputation. A Lord of Chaos is bound to be _very_ famous."

The martian narrowed her eyes slightly, but accepted her explanation. "Klarion _used_ to work with The Light. He and the rest of its leaders, minus the illustrious Lex Luthor, haven't been seen in more than a year."

I frowned. "Well, they're _clearly_ up to something. He _wanted_ me find him, that much is clear. Question is, what for?"

Bumblebee gave me a confused shake of her head. "Back up, ghost girl. How do you know Klarion's interested in you?"

"It's only a theory. I believe he may be interested in my abilities." -I said, mildly disturbed.

"What makes you so special?" -Wonder Girl asked, though there was no bite to her question.

I pursed my lips. "Well, there _have_ been people of my kind before. Just never children of Trigon. I can do things that no one else can, to the best of my knowledge."

"Like…?" -asked Batgirl.

"I imagine it's my ability to cross dimensions that is of interest to him and his...companions." -I surmised.

Batgirl scoffed. "Fragile allies, more like. They showed their true colors the last time."

I should probably ask about that, but now was not the time. "We'll return, see what the League thinks of this." -I said, nodding at the flailing torso.

The others nodded, bracing as my energy enveloped us.

* * *

It took some convincing, carting the undead around.

" _No_ , it's _not_ contagious. That's not how 'zombies' actually work, outside of movies." -I said, annoyed, at the young man in the blue armor, currently poised to deliver some kind of blast from his arm cannon.

"Lady, _ese wey está muerto_. I don't care about the mechanics, it's just not right." -he said.

I grit my teeth, ready to grudgingly shield the undead, but Miss Martian stepped in between us. "Jaime, _stand down_. I know you're anxious. We all are, but we need information, and this _thing_ is the only source we've currently got."

The Blue Beetle -wasn't that the guy who supported the Reach?- narrowed his eyes, but complied, the cannon morphing back into the shape of a hand. "Fine. _Pero si empiezan a morder_ , I'm shootin'."

He left the room, leaving us to our business. In my haste to return us to the Watchtower, I'd opened the portal directly inside the Team's quarters, causing a minor panic. The situation had been fairly easily resolved, but this Jaime kid was apparently particularly scared of zombies, because he refused to back down, until now.

"So, what's next? -Batgirl asked me.

I raised an eyebrow, but thought about it. "You should have one of your magic users try to get everything they can from the undead. Meanwhile, I'll work on tracking Klarion."

"Tomorrow." -said a familiar gravely voice.

Batman was standing in the doorway, wreathed in his black cape. "A word, Raven." -he said, then turned to walk away.

I looked at my recent companions, who simply nodded in the Dark Knight's direction. I guess you couldn't just ignore the Batman.

He was standing in a hallway with a view, which was filled with the blue hue of the Earth below.

"Your former teammate made it. Mr. Logan will likely make a swift recovery thanks to his unstable genes." -he said, looking out into the void.

A knot in my stomach that I hadn't quite noticed loosened. I felt genuine relief. "Thank you for telling me."

He barely acknowledged my gratitude. "I know all about loss, Miss Roth, as I'm sure you are aware. I'm glad that we could help prevent another one for you."

I nodded. "Will I be able to see him?"

"Shortly, yes. I have some questions first."

His tone told me to sit tight. Then again, it was hard to gauge from his artificially modified voice.

He turned to me, the blue irises I knew were behind the white lenses locking with my violet orbs. "When did you last see or hear from Nightwing?"

I thought about it. "Almost a year ago. Opening day for the White Raven, he visited in civilian attire, wished me luck and complimented my decor."

He thought about it for a second. "Nothing since?"

I shook my head. "He asked me not to contact him unless it was urgent. Said he was busy with an op."

Batman narrowed his eyes, testing me, which I found annoying. I _was_ telling the truth.

"Trigon, is he defeated?" -he asked curtly.

The gratitude was rapidly evaporating. "I scattered his essence across thousands of different dimensions. It took him ten thousand years to find his way out of _one_. As far as immortal creatures go, he's about as dead as he can be."

Ultimately, he seemed satisfied. "Understood. You may visit Mr. Logan at your leisure, but do not wander around. You are here as my guest. Do _not_ give the rest of the League motive to question my decision."

He then left, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the world beneath my feet.

* * *

I broke down, when I saw Garfield. Not in the sense of uncontrollable bawling, agonized cries, or tortured wails, but rather in that I didn't have the will to shut him out any longer. I'd almost lost him, and though he might not have been my love anymore, he was still my friend.

He was lying there, with half-lidded eyes, groggily chatting with Cyborg, who looked a little tired, but happy to be with Garfield again.

"I feel like you're about to bicker over the remote again." -I said amusedly.

The green man chuckled. "I don't know that they get any reception up here, Rae."

I let the nickname thing go. I knew he did it on purpose. "That's unfortunate. Stuck with us for entertainment."

Cyborg looked offended. "I'll have you know, the Flash himself has named me heir to his humor."

Beast Boy scoffed. "Bunch of stuck up heroes you hang out with, I'm not surprised; he was probably getting desperate."

Cyborg, though still miffed, conceded the point. I shook my head. "It's certainly a tough crowd."

Garfield cocked his head slightly, fighting off the drowsiness already. "They threaten you, or something?"

I scowled. "Cool it with the overprotectiveness. I can handle myself, remember?"

He blushed green. "Right. Sorry, Rae."

" _Anyway_. No threats yet. Besides the standing one from Doctor Fate, I suppose. I am not well liked here, that much is certain." -I grudgingly admitted.

Cy pursed his lips. "It's just jealousy and fear, Raven. They have an idea of what you can do, the power you wield...but they don't know _you_." -he winked reassuringly.

I gave him a sad smiled. "I'm surprised you'd talk about your fellow heroes like that. At this point, I'm not sure _I_ know myself. I had hoped not to have to return to... _this_." -I said, gesturing at my concealed body.

Gar winced. "For what it's worth, I really am sorry about that. You were the closest help I could think of." -he said apologetically, then brightened up. "Costume suits you, though."

I rolled my eyes. "Haven't you heard? _Costumes_ aren't acceptable anymore. This is a _lightly armored uniform_." -I said, then shook my head. "I'm a half-demon. There are maybe four beings on Earth who can actually kill me, and three of them are part of the League."

Gar tapped his chest. "Brag about it. Some of us are just slightly _stranger_ than the average human."

I gave his chest a melancholic look. "So, why was I the closest help? California and Washington State are a ways away."

He lifted the covers then pushed them away. His body was _covered_ in healing bruises, cuts, scrapes, and burns, despite the extensive medical treatment he'd received during our warped hours within Azarath. Different time flow and all that. He pointed to a particularly awful burn at his side. "Well, I was looking for...Cadmus leads, in Seattle. One of Robin's files made passing mention of it. Turns out, there was nothing of note. Except, of course, for you."

"The assassins must've thought so, too, because they were trying to ambush you. You were too visible, so they were taking their time. I decided I could take on a former sidekick and two assassins by myself. I guess that's just how rusty I am, that they beat the crud out of me. I tried to lead them to the forest, get them in my element, y'know? They gave zero fricks. You know that weird cannon thing Arsenal has in his robo-hand? Well, I'm lucky it's not some kind of disintegration beam, because _wow_ , the man has good aim. It burns, and it hits like a truck, which is how I ended up with busted ribs at your place. I thought I'd lost them back at the forest, which is why I didn't immediately tell you to run. Clearly, I was _pretty_ wrong."

I frowned. "It didn't seem like they were after me, when I..talked with them."

He hummed. "What did Speedy say?"

"He wanted me out of the way. Asked what you'd ever done for me, if my life was worth yours, that kind of stuff." -I said.

Garfield raised an eyebrow. "I guess they were trying to get you to lower your guard?"

"Or maybe Raven wasn't actually the target." -pointed out Cyborg.

"Why would they be staking out her house, then?" -Garfield asked.

I shook my head. "Maybe there was something in my home they wanted, or nearby."

Cyborg crossed his arms. "It's worth a look. Unless that zombie of yours turns out to have useful intel, Dick's lead is still the only one we've got."

I nodded, while Gar just looked at me, dumbfounded. "What the heck does he mean, _zombie_?"

That got a smirk out of me. "Rest up and heal, and I'll tell you on the way."

* * *

"So."

Jaime Reyes lowered the comic book he was reading, only to find the speedster who'd inherited the mantle of Kid Flash. " _Qué rollo_ , Bart?"

The young hero gave him a knowing grin. "Seems like you had a run-in with the witch."

Jaime scowled. "Her and her dead ninja, yeah."

"Caused a little bit of a scene."

The Blue Beetle huffed. "Well, what the heck did she expect? Portal _into_ the Watchtower, toss a flippin' zombie at our faces…it freaked the Scarab out, went into full defense mode instantly.

"I meant that _you_ caused a scene, but whatevs. Why did it freak out?" -Bart asked.

Jaime pursed his lips. "He doesn't like magic, _de por sí_ , but this chick is, like, magic central, _hermano_. Plus, she seems a little...I don't know, _off_. _And_ she's a killer, from what I gather. Since when do we partner up with killers?"

Bart shrugged. "I don't know, Blue. We obviously don't have the full story, but I can tell you, she's gone through a lot."

"Why?"

The speedster sighed. "I know _of_ her, from my timeline. She was one of the big guns of the resistance, but she died before I was born. And I've read up on her situation here. Big file. The League kind of hates her."

"Do you think it _might be_ because she's basically the anti-Christ and brought forth the Apocalypse?" -Jaime asked sarcastically.

Bart crossed his arms. "Dude, no one chooses their parents. Just ask Aqualad. As for the rest, though, I guess we'd have to hear her side of the story before judging."

"She's still freaky." -Jaime said, stubbornly.

The speedster raised an eyebrow. "Uh...I don't know if you've noticed, but freaky is _kind_ of our entire deal."

Blue Beetle shrugged. "Sure, _pero ella_...I can't put my finger on it, man, but I feel like we gotta watch out."

Kid Flash conceded the point. "True. Just...try not to antagonize her. If she could reverse the Apocalypse, who knows what _else_ she can do."

* * *

"I want the witch's head, Batman."

Green Arrow was _mad_. Not only had the woman beat up Roy, she'd lost track of him in her own personal dimension? Oliver Queen didn't get by on luck. He was a pretty smart man, and he did _not_ believe in coincidences. He was also, admittedly, rather hot-headed.

"Raven is not to be touched, so long as I say so. She is a wild card, and we should do anything in our power not to provoke her." -the Dark Knight replied.

Arrow scoffed. "So, what, we're just catering to murderers, now?"

Batman narrowed his eyes. "Raven may be a killer, but her actions were committed in self-defense. There's a difference."

"Is there? She's powerful, Bruce. She could've held back, only injure them. She chose not to." -the archer pointed out.

The Caped Crusader crossed his arms. "Her feelings for the Changeling affected the situation. She is an empath, and her powers are largely influenced by her mood. She let her judgement get clouded by emotion." -he surmised, then he stared directly at Queen's eyes. "Which is exactly what you're doing."

Green Arrow recoiled like he'd been slapped. " _You_ don't get to pull that card, Bruce. Sure, you say that, now, but if it was Dick, instead of Roy? You'd be tearing the witch a new one, grilling her for every last _scrap_ of information. Screw this, you hypocrite. I'm gonna find Roy myself. Make sure _she's_ not in my way."

With that, the Green Arrow stormed out of the Council room, leaving a fuming Batman to figure out the next move.


	8. Not Safe For Thoughts

**Fair warning: this chapter has non-explicit references to two consenting people having a sexual relationship, so beware.**

* * *

A day later, Gar's healing factor and Cyborg's care had taken care of his most grievous injuries, though the scars still looked a little fresh to me. I gathered some supplies, and Cyborg gifted him a new uniform, with the same color scheme as his old one, only with the same type of armored padding mine had. I created a portal back home, through which we all stepped.

I did _not_ expect the cops.

Two Seattle PD officers jumped when they saw us, reaching for their handguns. "SPD, identify yourselves!" -one of them shouted.

They ought to be commended for their bravery, considering who they were pointing those things at. Garfield immediately got defensive, but Cyborg was ready to smooth things out. "Relax, guys. Justice League business. Sorry for getting the drop on y'all."

He produced an ID card from a compartment on his right side, which the lead cop took, examined, then returned, holstering his weapon. "Right. What're you Leaguers doing at a regular old crime scene, huh?"

Cyborg frowned. "We didn't know it was a crime scene. We were just investigating reports of suspicious activity. What happened here?"

The other cop answered. "Local business owner, in her early twenties. She disappeared after the neighbors reported bright flashes and what sounded like an explosion. Shame, too, that woman actually got me to like _tea_ of all things."

I felt a small swell of pride at that. Gar gave me a knowing grin. " _Anyway_ , there's plenty of signs of struggle, and some of her things are missing, so we think we're looking at a robbery gone wrong. Her living room looks like a warzone, so I'm betting that's what the neighbors thought was a detonation." -said the other cop.

"Do you have any leads?" -Garfield asked.

"Only some blood. It doesn't look great for her, I'll be honest. Do you need us out of the way? CSU's already swept through the place."

Cyborg nodded. "We'd appreciate it, thank you. And sorry again."

The cops nodded, reported our arrival, and left. As soon as their patrol car was out of earshot, Garfield and Victor burst out laughing. I merely smirked.

"Man, that was great." -said Cyborg.

"Very. I'm sad the guy is gonna miss out on his newfound love for tea, though." -I said dryly.

Garfield snorted. "Was he a regular?"

I shrugged. "I don't remember him, so probably not. I don't mean to brag, but the White Raven was _quite_ popular around here. I only really remember my most loyal customers." -I said with a smile, which quickly turned bitter at the prospect of having lost all of it.

He recognized my changing mood immediately. "Hey. I'm _so_ sorry about this. But, you'll get through this, Raven."

Cyborg nodded. "Yeah, and we'll be there for whatever you need."

I smiled sadly. "Right. So, help me look for anything that might look out of place."

We split off, with Cyborg taking the first floor, Changeling the second, and me going through the store proper. I scowled, seeing the establishment I'd worked so hard to keep pristine look so...abandoned. Books were strewn around the floor, knocked out of the shelves, and cups had smashed into a thousand pieces, all because of my fight with the would-be assassins. I took a cracked picture frame from the floor - me with my regulars, the guys and girls who'd stay at the store way past closing time, helping me clean up, reorganize the bookshelves, and just talked with me. The people I was just building strong friendships with, and who I'd very likely have to forget about, now. Bella, Jonas, Carlos, Edith...I would miss them very much. In such a short time, I'd left whatever remained of my 'shell' behind thanks to their kindness and friendly attitudes. I'd never say it, but being back with the old gang...it kind of felt like a step backwards at the moment. Only time would tell how long that feeling would last.

Seeing nothing really standing out as missing, I went back to the house. I found Cyborg kneeling in the middle of the living room, which was scorched and torn beyond recognition, scanning with all his sensors. After a quick check around the kitchen and bathroom, I walked up the stairs.

When I reached my room, I found myself experiencing a nasty mix of involuntary desire and annoyance. Garfield was holding a rather revealing pair of lingerie I owned, looking confused by his find.

I crossed my arms, frowning. "I _highly_ doubt two trained assassins and a former superhero came here to _panty raid me_." -I said, somewhat angrily.

Garfield had the decency to look a little bit ashamed, but he made no move to put the underwear back in its place. "Who were you planning to wear this for?" -he asked quietly.

"Not you." -I answered simply.

He pursed his lips. "No, I get that. You never wore anything like this when we... _y'know_."

I rolled my eyes. "If 'had sex' is a little too difficult for you to say, I'd suggest 'slept together' instead. And no. I didn't. I didn't expect to see you here the other night. Much less so showing you those. Put. Them. Back"

Garfield looked mortified, finally putting my undergarments back in place and sporting a mighty green blush. I wasn't embarrassed. Not by the lingerie, or remembering our rather short-lived sex life. Part of my sabbatical had been dealing with the fact that I'd chosen Beast Boy as my first, that I'd put so much trust in him, and in the end, I'd been disappointed. I _had_ fallen in love with him, and in doing so, I'd turned a blind eye to many of his faults, chief of which was his apparent refusal to mature and really act like the responsible, adult superhero he was supposed to be. Of course, I had just as many flaws, if not more, which is why I did not fully blame him, even if he'd turned me away after sharing my intimacy with him. My year away served to make me come to terms with what happened.

So far, his behavior was a mixed bag, with this latest antic qualifying as vindication for letting the relationship end.

"I'm sorry." -he said honestly. He was feeling shame, but I could feel there was also some lingering jealousy behind it. Perks of being an empath, I suppose. Nothing really escapes my notice on that front.

"I haven't _been_ with anyone, Garfield. It was meant as a silly birthday gift from a friend. Not that you deserve to know." -I told him, then backed out of the room, scowling all the way down to Cyborg.

He looked at me oddly. "I'll talk to him." -he said.

I groaned slightly. "Your sensors, I assume?"

He nodded, slightly amused. "I'll be honest, I could've lived without the confirmation."

"I could've lived without all of what just happened."

Cyborg chuckled. "Don't worry about it. He's just a little lost, still. His last couple of years haven't been nearly as good as yours. And I _know_ he feels terrible about this whole situation with Speedy."

I sighed. "The boy needs to mature. I could understand it, back then. He'd basically felt like we'd all abandoned him...but now? That was seriously out of line."

"And I'll make sure he understands that. For now, though, we have work to do." -he reminded me.

I took a moment to collect myself. "Right. I assume you found nothing of value?"

He shook his head. "Typical magical residue, explosive compounds. Blood from the bad guys and BB."

Garfield chose that moment to come into the room, looking a lot more contrite. "I didn't see anything wrong up there." -he said, with a pointed look at me that said 'sorry'

I nodded slowly. "Looks like the White Raven is a dead end." -then I muttered. "Emphasis on _dead_."

Cyborg put a comforting hand to my shoulder. It felt oddly distant, thanks to the armored padding. "We should check the spot you found them at, BB." -he suggested.

Garfield cheered up at that, turning into a red bloodhound and barking at us so we'd follow. I shared a raised eyebrow with Cyborg, and floated after him.


	9. Thick As Thieves

The bad guys' 'secret lair' turned out to be - surprise, surprise - an abandoned warehouse out on the outskirts of the city. At first glance, it didn't look like anything was wrong with it, but Cyborg's trusty sensors quickly found a secret passageway.

"Does anyone ever wonder how these things get built?" -Garfield asked us, as Cyborg hacked the hidden keypad.

"Luthor is usually involved, when it comes to villainous secret lairs. He owns several hundred companies. At least a dozen of them work construction for bad guys." -Cyborg told us.

Garfield cocked his head. "Remind me, why isn't he in jail already?"

Cyborg chuckled. "There's no bail high enough that he can't post. Plus, Superman's a big softie…and honestly, when he isn't being a sociopathic jerk, he actually does a lot of good for humanity."

I rolled my eyes. "Perks of being the richest man in the world, huh?"

"Uh huh. Come on, let's find us some intel."

He led the way down a set of simple concrete stairs. Garfield kept looking back at me every so often, his mind radiating feelings of guilt and worry. I kept quiet; now was not the time for a heart to heart.

The basement (read: secret lair) was rather small, and filled with computer equipment. Cyborg quickly scanned the room for traps, but found none. I gave it a quick, magical once-over as well, just in case - with Klarion involved, one couldn't be _too_ careful. The room was still quiet.

"Alright. Let's see what we can find." -Cyborg said, plugging himself in.

Information started streaming in, all too quick for Garfield or I to read. He started fidgeting, a stark contrast to my absolute stillness. There was _something_ I was missing in the room, I could feel it.

Garfield cleared his throat. "So, um...I wanted to apologize for earlier." -he started.

I could hear Cyborg going ' _Oh, boy, here we go.'_ by the screens. "Later, Changeling. We're on the field." -I curtly tried to cut him off.

He scoffed. "We checked it out, it's empty. And I just wanted to say sorry. I was way out of line, getting jealous of you. I should've known you wouldn't be seeing anyone."

I frowned. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Well, it's _you_ , Rae. With your emotions tied to your powers, I just thought you wouldn't allow yourself to see anyone...else?" -he asked, then gulped as he saw my jaw tighten.

I loomed over him, my demonic heritage showing through. " _Stop. Talking._ Or I'll forget that you nearly died yesterday."

Before he could even look properly chastised, a synthetic voice filled the room. " _Aww, look. A lover's spat._ "

Cyborg frowned. "What the- " -he said, then shouted in pain as the computer forcibly ejected him with a shock, the screens becoming static.

My eyes blazed white as I held my hands out in defiance. "Show yourself!"

" _Not quite yet, Miss Roth. You and Mr. Logan have some business to attend to. I can wait._ " -the voice answered. It was male, young and arrogant. Reminded me of Arsenal's but it clearly wasn't his.

Garfield scowled. "How does he know my name?"

The voice laughed. " _I know_ all _the dirty little secrets the 'heroes' try to hide. Good for blackmail, getting me out of tight spots, you know? You three were hardly difficult to figure out. Green skin, gray skin, metal-for-skin...not very inconspicuous, huh? Besides...we know each other well._ "

"Come out and face us, then! Should be an easy fight, if you know all about us." -Garfield taunted.

" _Tsk, tsk. So impatient, Mr. Logan. I reckon Miss Roth is doing well to keep you at arm's length. So hot headed._ "

Some kind of projectile flew by me, embedding itself into one of Cyborg's joints. It sparked, and Victor's body locked up, causing him to grunt in pain. I tried to track the shot, but the room still seemed to contain nobody but us. Another one of the projectiles - thrown, not shot, I noticed - would've struck me, but I had fairly well honed reflexes, and blocked it with a dark shield. Garfield must've seen something, because he charged off, becoming a red tiger.

I knelt by Cyborg, taking out the _thing_ jamming his system. I recognized it instantly. "No freaking way." -Cyborg said, staring at the crimson, x-shaped projectile.

Garfield cried out, landing beside us with a dazed expression. "You're not gonna believe who just kicked me across the room." -he wheezed out.

"I would." -I said, holding up the shuriken. "Red X."

The mysterious thief/criminal/vigilante made his appearance, looking much the same - if a little taller, his look also updated - as the last time we'd seen him, jumping down a cliff after we'd managed to corner him years before.

" _Ladies._ " -he said, nodding at us.

My hands blazed with obsidian energy. "One chance is all you get, in deference to your help back then. _Talk_." -I threatened.

The thief chuckled. " _My, my, the she-demon has claws._ " -he said, then held up his hands as I scowled. " _Believe it or not, I'm not here to fight. Or steal, for that matter._ "

Cyborg's joints came back to life with a series of low whirs. "I find that hard to believe."

" _You mean, from the extensive history we share? A total of two whole fights gave away my whole character, huh?_ " -he said, casually playing with a couple of x's between his fingers.

My eyes narrowed. "Stop wasting our time and get on with it."

The thief scoffed. " _Never had you pegged as leader material. Guess I_ am _wrong sometimes." -_ he shrugged. " _You're looking for clues as to where Nightwing and the others are being held. I can help you with that._ "

Cyborg frowned. "How?"

" _Why?_ " -I added, skeptically.

Red X narrowed his eyes behind the stylized skull mask. " _Let's just say, I owe Grayson some. I hate debts more than I hate playing hero. Besides, those assholes made it personal._ "

I winced internally; the guy knew Nightwing's identity. Red X threw me a circular thing, which I encircled in black. "What's this?" -I asked him.

" _Proof._ "

I turned it over in mid-air, recognizing the stylized _R_ on the dented, blood-stained metal. "Robin?" -Garfield asked, confused.

" _The sequel. Jason Todd. I know where he is_."

The thief then took a couple of fingers to the side of his mask, which promptly lifted, revealing a young man with once-vibrant red hair, streaked with white. His face was scarred, but the marks were faded, more like very faint tattoos. Indeed, all of him was a little faded, and his eyes were clouded, as if he had cataracts.

"Ta da." -he said, sarcastically. His voice seemed hoarse, like he hadn't used it in a while.

Victor gasped. "Jason Todd…"

The corner of his mouth lifted. "In the reincarnated flesh, yes."

I shook my head. "Why out yourself?"

"And how are you even alive?"

The mask lowered again. " _Great questions. Maybe you should chat with Ra's al Ghul. I'll tell…_ " -he said, then pointed at me. " _You. Let's play hooky. Leave the boy scouts behind._ "

Garfield growled in a very canine manner. I glared at my ex. "Cool it." -I said, then looked at the former sidekick. "Where would we be going?"

" _Oh, some back alley or another. You can see it in my mind, I'm sure_."

"I'm an _empath_ , not a _telepath_. And here I thought you'd done your homework."

He chuckled. " _Oh, I know. I just happen to enjoy your sarcasm._ "

Todd extended his gloved hand, and I knew I would take it. Garfield was still nearly foaming at the mouth, but he kept quiet. Cyborg put a hand to my shoulder. "You sure about this?"

I hesitated for a second, then nodded. "I'll let you know what I find."

He turned towards Red X, his arm becoming a cannon. "You lay a hand on her...this baby's got a disintegration setting."

He chuckled. " _Knew that, too._ "

"Then you better make sure I don't use it. I doubt the Lazarus Pit works as well with free floating atoms."


	10. Marooned

We didn't take my portal this time. Red X - now outed as a resurrected Jason Todd - still had his Xenothium powered belt, and thus instantly teleported us to the place he wanted us to go. Alone.

Ok. So maybe I was feeling a little spiteful, after that little spat with Garfield. Running around with a known antihero and previously dead sidekick was undeniably dangerous. He'd defeated us before, and _that_ had been when the five of us were together - though I was considerably better at fighting than before. Todd looked like he hadn't been resting on his laurels, or, I guess, underground; his body type was definitely less athletic than Dick's, more like Batman's. He was muscled, but not overly so. The former Robin was at least a head taller than me, and only a couple inches shorter than Cyborg.

Where was I? Oh, yeah. Intel.

"Where are we?" -I asked him, narrowing my eyes under the hood.

He didn't turn to look at me, instead fiddling with his belt. " _Where does it look like we are?_ "

I glanced around. The city didn't look very distinctive, though it did look huge. We were on a non-descript rooftop, complete with a water tower, surrounded by high-rises and apartment buildings.

" _Look up._ "

I did, and saw a massive building with the words 'Queen Consolidated' proudly displayed on its side. "Queen...I remember that name from somewhere."

" _Probably from reading Grayson's mind. With your empathy._ " -he said sarcastically, shooting me a side glance.

For some reason, I blushed maroon under my hood. "I don't have telepathy in my moveset. I used a spell."

" _I figured. Good to have confirmation, though. Makes you a lot more interesting if you can do more than make things black and throw them at people. And I_ like _interesting._ "

"I don't."

He snorted, fixing me with a stare, then turned back to the building. " _Oliver Queen spends his nights much like ol' Bruce does. Less up close and personal, but it's all in the same spirit. Him and his dysfunctional little family like themselves the obscenely antiquated art of archery._ "

I frowned after a moment. "We're in Star City. The Green Arrow's turf."

" _I see the gray matter is still up and running_."

"You _do_ know he wants to kill me, right?"

The thief shrugged. " _Live a little_."

I sighed. "Fine. Speak your piece, Todd."

He laughed. " _I like that. Not the name, mind you, but the way you say things._ "

"Get _on_ with it."

" _Well,_ " -he began, " _as I'm sure you're aware, I died. Killed by the Joker, who remains as alive as I am unavenged. I guess Bruce has a soft spot for brightly dressed psychopaths. I couldn't tell you what happens...after. I don't remember it. But I remember waking up. Years ago, before our little tussle, when the Titans were still teenaged. Before I stole the suit._ "

He pressed the button at the side of his head, and his mask lifted. "As you can see, Jason Todd didn't _quite_ make it back in one piece. There's a reason for that."

He continued. "I suggested Ra's had brought me back. Your bionic friend believed it, and I don't blame him. He _is_ rather infamous for being impossible to _permanently_ put down. Truth is, the League only provided some... _counseling_. Whatever brought me back was done by the Light."

I gasped. He shrugged. "I'd thank 'em, but they didn't exactly go full messiah on me out of the goodness of their hearts."

I shook my head. "Why bring Batman's sidekick back to life?"

He bristled a little, but kept his voice even, lowering the mask again. " _I'm not entirely sure. I wasn't thrown into the Pit, that much I know. I'm not bloodthirsty enough. I remember machines around me. Some sort of portal, too. Runes. And a cat, for some reason_."

 _That_ sounded familiar. "Portals again. This isn't good. If the Light gets ahold of or invents some device that can allow them to traverse the multiverse, they'd be unstoppable."

" _Definitely sounds like the opposite of good. Anyway, I had to punch, kick, and scream my way out of there. Every now and then I'll pick up a tail. I'm pretty sure it's them, checking out if their little pseudo-science project is still up and running."_

I hummed. "You said you knew where Dick was."

He nodded. " _I do. Gotta warn you, though. It ain't gonna be easy getting him out. And I sure as hell won't be getting anywhere near the place._ "

"I have help. We'll be fine."

Todd snorted. " _Whatever helps you sleep better, Roth._ "

"The _place_ , Todd."

He crossed his arms, miffed. "Fine. _I picked up a job for a...let's say mutual acquaintance. He had me infiltrate a highly secure building, with theft in mind. I'll admit I underestimated the security in that place. What they've got locked up in there...it gave_ me _nightmares. And a couple of broken ribs. Grayson is deep undercover at a top secret Cadmus facility near Gotham. I only know this because I caught a glimpse of him on my way out of it_. _And by 'caught a glimpse' I mean I accidentally knocked his scrawny ass out._ "

I _almost_ snorted. "What about the other missing heroes? Aquagirl, Kid Flash...Terra?"

He got really quiet for a few seconds, then turned to me. " _Rachel, sometimes heroes just die. As perhaps the world's leading authority on the matter, take it from me: don't get your hopes up. There's no guarantee that those missing sidekicks are still kickin'. Treat that as fact, and you won't be disappointed when you don't find what you're looking for._ _And believe me: you won't_."

I stared at the white eyes on his mask, pondering his rather jaded suggestion. "I'll...keep that in mind."

" _I bet you won't_. _Deep down, you're still Raven. Still a heroine. You won't give up 'till you know for sure_. _Good luck with that, by the way_."

I frowned. "Is that it?"

" _What else did you want?_ "

"You could tell me where to find the facility. Or what's inside."

He chuckled. " _You're right. I could. See you around, Raven_."

With a tap to his belt, the thief vanished. I considered his revelations, assuming he'd told the truth. He didn't seem to be lying to me, and his emotions had all been genuine. I already knew they Light was looking into inter-dimensional portals, and Jason's experience pointed towards that, as well. The more important development was that they had been at it for years. Things were starting to make sense: they would probably be a little desperate by now, especially if they thought that Roy Harper and a couple of of ninjas were enough to coerce her into helping them with their no doubt nefarious plans.

I was about to reach out to Cyborg when I heard them. I turned around and saw two figures, one short and female, the other taller and male, both bearing bows. The man was dressed all in black, while the female wore a red hood and costume.

"You're in the wrong city, She-Demon." -said the man, nocking an arrow, and aiming at my face.

The woman wasn't as hostile, but she still had her bow at the ready. "I take it you're the Green Arrow's...sidekicks?"

"Bitter rival, actually." -said the male, sarcastically.

The girl shrugged. "I guess you could say I'm a sidekick, yeah."

I frowned. "Are you Speedy too?"

"At your service. Whenever we're not asked to capture you, that is." -she replied, darkly amused.

My eyes lit up and my hands became wreathed by darkness. "Arsenal tried to take me out. He wasn't very successful."

The male snorted. "I think we'll take our chances." -he said.

The dark archer shot his arrow, and I conjured up a shield in front of me. Just as I did, however, something hit the back of my head with enough force to make my vision blurry. I tried to blast behind me, but there was nothing there. The sound of a bow being drawn drew my attention back to the archers, who fired again. I protected myself, blasting them. The energy hit the dark vigilante, but the female managed to evade it, and shoot back. I used my shield again, but the arrow split in two and wrapped itself around me. Before I could try to get out of it, however, I was hit again, this time in the temple, which had me on my knees before too long.

I blinked, looking up. The dark archer and Speedy had me in their sights, and beside them I could see someone I'd seen earlier in my adventure. The Black Canary had a bo staff levelled at my face, an expression of displeasure apparent in her otherwise beautiful visage.

"I'd say I'm sorry, but you've actually killed all of us before."

I shook my head, trying to keep Rage from murdering all of these so-called superheroes. "I don't suppose this makes us even."

"Not even close. We need to chat."

Black Canary thrust her pole into my chest, and lit it up with enough voltage to make my world go black.


	11. Interrogation

Nevermore was _loud_.

I found myself defaulting to my mindscape in my unconsciousness, a useful technique I'd developed to avoid the necessity of using my mirror, to be ready for action whenever someone managed to knock me out. The Emoticlones were gathered in a sort of throne room, a statue of me in all my white, post-Trigon glory in the center, the multi-colored Ravens arranged in a semi-circle around it.

"We must go about this wisely. We're dealing with prominent Leaguers." -said Wisdom.

Courage scoffed. "It's Black Canary and a bunch of copycat archers. We can take 'em. Come to think of it, how come we _didn't_?"

Timidity spoke up, a rare feat indeed. "They'd hate us...if they knew we attacked the Canary, they wouldn't tolerate our existence anymore."

"We're rusty. Dinah Lance outplayed us. Move on." -I ordered, taking my seat right in the middle of them.

Courage crossed her arms glumly. " _Fine_ , but I want a major ass-kicking soon. We've been pacifists _way_ too long."

Rage agreed with a monstrous snarl. I grimaced a bit; Courage and Rage thinking alike was usually disastrous.

Sloth yawned. "Let's just phase out and forget about it, man."

"No." -Wisdom and I said at the same time. The Yellow Emoticlone deferred to me. "We need to figure out why they thought kidnapping _me_ was a good idea."

Wisdom nodded. "It's true. We are supposedly under the Batman's protection. Black Canary is the current public face of the Justice League. She would not openly defy the Dark Knight if she didn't think we could help."

Love sighed. "Or maybe they're just desperate about finding Roy and went with it when you randomly popped up in Star City."

Wisdom hummed, conceding the possibility. _Those_ two had gotten a little too chummy, of late.

"I guess the only way to find out is to wake up. You are dismissed. Except for you, Rage."

The Emoticlones promptly vanished, except for a confused Rage. I rose, narrowing my eyes at her. I approached my once-dreaded emotion confidently, betraying no fear.

"There's a significant chance you will be called upon soon."

Rage's feral grin would never fail to unsettle, but I stood my ground. "You've been out of any significant action for some time, so I think it fair to warn you: we cooperate. We are one and the same. I give you some measure of free will, and you give me victory. This does _not_ mean you'll take over. Not even for a second. Act otherwise, and you'll find yourself buried so far beneath my subconscious that your _boredom_ here in Nevermore will be your most treasured memory."

Leaving no room for argument - or whatever the demonic sounding equivalent could be - I dispelled my Rage, and prepared to return to reality.

* * *

For once, I _didn't_ awake with a start.

I don't know how long I stayed in that groggy, half-unconscious state. I _do_ know that I woke up annoyed, because I had to listen through various bits of their discussion regarding my immediate future.

"We _have_ to let her go! If Br- _Batman_ catches wind of this, Dinah..."

"He can take it up with _me_. We need information, and she's our best bet."

"No offense, but I highly doubt you can match up to the Batman." -I said to Black Canary.

I groggily opened my eyes, and saw two blondes in front of me. The Black Canary was in the middle of a shouting match with the archer who claimed to be the current Speedy.

"You'd be surprised." -Dinah replied, sneering at me.

The younger woman frowned. "We used enough tranquilizer to keep an elephant under for a day. How are you awake already?"

I shrugged as much as my bound limbs allowed. "There's fire in my veins."

"Is that literal, or…?"

"Speedy. Come on."

I snorted. "Your identity is public, Canary. How long do you think it would take me to Google _her_ name? You're barely wearing a domino mask."

This time, Speedy gave me a smug grin. "Dinah's right. You'd be surprised."

Lance crossed her arms. " _Anyway._ I'll save you the monologue. Tell us everything you know about Arsenal."

"Y'know you didn't have to _kidnap_ me for that, right? Especially because I can't really tell you anything I haven't told the League."

Speedy sighed. "Look. You're _dangerous_. Like, end the _world_ dangerous. You got here... _sooner_ than we expected, so we had to improvise. Until we could conjure up some sort of insurance. Y'know, for us lowly mortals."

Lance shrugged. "I don't really care about all that. You're the biggest mass murderer in history, as far as I'm concerned. League protection or not, you deserve what you got, and more. _Way_ more."

I hummed. "I always thought the Black Canary would be above petty revenge."

"You know what they say. Never meet your heroes."

"You're _not_. And right now, you're acting like nobody's heroine. You're some kind of lawyer, aren't you? Tell me, does the Vigilante Act cover kidnapping?"

"No. It doesn't. Neither does it condone murder, which you're two counts in for already. And _that's_ not even considering the seven billion people you and your daddy killed. So, whatever moral high ground you think you're on? Not that high."

I frowned, trying to keep myself from lashing out. "You have _no idea_ what you're talking about. Make your questions. I have to rescue a friend."

Speedy sighed. "Ok. You told the League that Arsenal attacked you."

I nodded, barely. "Him and two assassins. Broke into my home, shot Beast Boy, and tried to shoot me. I reacted accordingly."

"You've met Roy before, right?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure _which_ Roy Harper I met. He was condescending and brash then. Didn't have a metal arm, for sure." -I said, then scoffed. "He definitely didn't use to be that murderous."

The two vigilantes looked at each other. "You're an empath, right?"

"Yes."

"What was he feeling?"

"Rage, mostly. Hatred. No guilt."

Speedy shook her head. "This isn't right. Roy's... _difficult_ , but he's _not_ evil. And he hates the Light. Why would he work for them?"

Dinah pursed her lips. "He must be under their control."

"It could be. They've controlled you before?"

Black Canary shifted uncomfortably. "Klarion and Vandal Savage, yeah. They managed to infiltrate the Watchtower several years ago, and controlled almost every member of the League. The Team took them down."

The Witch Boy again…"Klarion doesn't work alone. He gets bored otherwise. Who is he working with now?"

"The Light still, probably."

"And this group hasn't been seen since the end of the Reach crisis?"

"No. They broke apart. Savage took the Warworld, and he's been MIA ever since, but the rest of their circle have gone back to solo acts since." -the Canary confirmed.

"Who's likely to be working with the Witch Boy right now?"

Lance snorted. "You mean besides Ra's? Those were _his_ ninjas you killed."

I rolled my eyes. "Spare me the guilt trip. Focus on figuring this out." -I said, exasperated. "Know any other villains with the ability to resurrect?"

The two looked at each other, uncomfortable. "Uh...not _villains_ , per se…" -Speedy said, crossing her arms.

"I do _not_ have the _time_ for this." -I warned them, my irises burning red.

"She means _me_." -a rough, raspy voice came from somewhere above me. A shadow dropped in front of me, large and heavy. It was the hooded archer from before, clad entirely in black.. His face was hidden from view by a half mask and a cowl, all but his glowing blue eyes concealed.

I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "And you are…?"

"The Black Arrow."

"Creative, aren't you?" -I said, sarcastic.

"Quoth the Raven…" -he replied, sardonically.

"You've died." -I said, trying to get a feel for his magical signature.

He nodded. "Impaled. I don't recommend it."

"How were you brought back?"

"A portal. And a clone."

My stomach dropped. "Cadmus?"

The Black Arrow crossed his arms. " _Assholes_. They made me a new body, and my soul was brought back through the portal. Or so they claimed; I wasn't exactly conscious at the time."

"And you escaped?"

He chuckled. "Not before they trained me."

"Why would Cadmus want an archer?"

"They didn't. Not at first. I was a failure, according to them. Don't know what that means, though. I feel just fine." -he said, shrugging. "Given my... _history_ , they figured I could be a useful tool against the Green Arrow. For a while, I was."

I hummed. "And so, a redemption arc later, you're part of the Arrow family."

He laughed. "I like your nerve, witch."

"Well, this has been interesting." -I said, as my eyes glowed and black aura enveloped me, untangling my bonds. I rose, only to see a couple of arrows nocked and aimed at my face.

"And just where do you think you're going? GA hasn't even arrived yet. And he _wants_ to talk with you, _bad_." -the Canary said, taunting.

I scoffed. "Like I have the time. I'll spare you this mistake. _Don't_ pull this stunt again."

The last I could see of them was their outraged expressions, as I melted into the floor.

* * *

 **Setup, setup, setup. Sorry about the super long wait. Also, the Black Arrow is an OC.**


	12. Catharsis

**Sorry about the enormous wait. Enjoy!**

* * *

I was _angry_.

Maybe, once upon a time, I'd have let things slide. I'd sit down, a foot from the floor, and concentrate on releasing my emotions' old on me, banishing them to the deepest recesses of my subconscious - the deepest pits of Nevermore, where Rage usually sulked. Rage wasn't quite driving yet, but she was definitely on the co-pilot's seat. I wasn't inclined to send her packing yet, either.

The shadows spit me out in the bunker where Todd had ambushed us. I expected to find Victor and Logan there, but the place was completely empty. I frowned, walking up to the computers. They were off, but a small post-it note had been stuck to the cracked screen, a crimson 'x' still stuck in the crystal. ' _Off to the Tower. Cy._ ', it read.

I grunted, _least_ they could've done was wait for me. I formed another portal, this time headed for space, but the dark disk turned _unstable_ , a golden glow absorbing the black energy. The gold power solidified into a gold _ankh_ , at which point I knew to brace myself.

" **SHE-DEMON**." -a booming voice filled the room. The golden icon morphed into Doctor Fate, the once warm green eyes of Giovanni Zatara staring coldly at me through the narrow slits of the Helm of Fate.

"What do you want, _Doctor_?"

" **YOUR ENTRANCE INTO THE WATCHTOWER HAS BEEN DENIED.** " -he said.

I narrowed my eyes, feeling my irises turn red. "On whose orders?"

" **THE BLACK CANARY HAS WARNED US OF YOUR BETRAYAL. NONE WHO COLLUDE WITH THE ENEMY SHALL BE ACCEPTED AMONG THE JUSTICE LEAGUE**."

I didn't even try to impede a second set of eyes from sprouting above my own. "Did the Canary forget to tell you about my kidnapping? Because I _just_ got back from her rather _illegal_ hospitality."

Doctor Fate graciously ignored this. " **YOU DO NOT DENY HER ACCUSATIONS?** "

"I'm _trying_ to save people, you goddamned hypocrite."

The good Doctor narrowed his eyes. " **YOU WILL INTERFERE NO LONGER, SPAWN OF CHAOS**."

I scoffed, the shadows growing around me. "And I suppose _you're_ to enforce this?"

Another _ankh_ appeared behind him. " _ **CORRECT**_."

"You have abhorred my presence since I landed on this world. I have lived in fear of offending you, of outstaying your _oh-so-warm welcome_." -I ground out. Tendrils of darkness enveloped my hands. "I am _tired_ of having to justify my existence to the likes of _you_. To anyone. I'm not one to fight another hero. For you? I will make an _exception_."

Shadows blasted from my hands, the inky energy colliding with a golden sphere the Doctor hastily manifested around himself. The sphere shifted to his front, becoming a beam which I deflected without effort. I dropped through the floor, phasing out behind Fate, a raven's claw reaching around the amber _ankh_. The sorcerer pushed the emblem backwards, toward me, cancelling out with my own attack. The shadows shrouded me, and I became the raven, ethereal wings wrapping around him. His power erupted, burning away my limbs, but my open maw swallowed him whole.

" **ENOUGH**!" -he bellowed, a burst of power making my avatar vanish. " **I HAVE ALLOWED YOUR EXISTENCE FAR TOO LONG. IF ORDER IS TO REIGN, CHAOS MUST BE REMOVED**."

I smirked. "I'm glad you think so. It seems I don't need to make an exception." -I said, feeling myself growing larger, my cowl and cape stretching far past their limit, warping reality. "Do you still pretend to be a hero, Doctor Fate? Does the League know how far you'll go to preserve your _precious_ Order?" -I said, then snorted. "Do they even _care_?"

"We do."

I turned to the new voice, all four of my eyes widening. Superman walked towards us, a disappointed tilt to his eyes. Doctor Fate immediately extinguished his powers, landing softly on the ground. The Kryptonian stopped between us, crossing his arms. "I'll take it from here." -he told the mage.

Fate narrowed his eyes. " **I CANNOT ABIDE SUCH A THREAT TO ORDER RETAIN HER FREEDOM.** " -he said.

Kal-El ignored the threat in his tone. "Report to Diana. She's handling a situation in Greece and she might need your help. There seems to be magic involved."

The Doctor tensed, but apparently, the looming crisis won out. He looked at me, a steely glint to his gaze. " **THERE WILL BE NO MORE WARNINGS, SHE-DEMON. DO NOT INTERFERE AGAIN.** "

With that, he projected the damn symbol again, stepped into it, and vanished. I slowly shrank into my regular size, Rage's influence ebbing out of my system. I blinked a couple of times - two eyes only, now - then sighed. "I got carried away." -I said, shame keeping my voice down.

I met Superman's bright blue eyes, his expression still sad. "I'm glad you realize that. Fly with me."

I followed him out the bunker, and into Seattle's overcast night sky.

"I would've...but _he_ would've…" -I tried to explain.

He put his palm out. "No need to explain. I have _pretty_ good hearing. Clearly, the League needs to do some housekeeping. I'll speak with Doctor Fate later. Batman's got Dinah covered."

I winced. "Which leaves…"

"You, Rachel." -he said, then gave me a sad smile when he saw my raised eyebrow. "Batman filled me in on your situation." -he said, looking towards the horizon, and down at the bustling city below. "I apologize for never stopping by; I hear your tea shop was Seattle's hipster Mecca."

"The operative word here being ' _was'_." - I said, downcast.

"I don't see why it can't be again. You're still alive, aren't you? You're still here, when, if I recall correctly, you didn't expect to last long on Earth."

"I _didn't_. I made it a year before _he_ caught up to me. I...I _warned_ you it would happen."

"And what did I say to that?"

I sighed. "You said...that I was a survivor. That we both were. You told me you knew how I felt."

He nodded. "The last of our kind. It can give someone a pretty powerful drive, wouldn't you say?"

"...yes."

He smiled. "When I saw you, ready to die at Fate's hand back then, I knew you weren't any different from us. Despite your foreign features, I saw in you the same thing I see in everyone: potential. For good, for evil...for something in between. I believed your warning. Tried to prepare myself and the League for _him_ , as much as time and all of our other obligations would allow. But...it was never up to us, was it?"

"No. Never."

"There was nothing we could do. But _you_...you had a choice. A choice to take a stand, to fight back. We're only here, admiring the view, because of _you_. Otherwise, I'd still be a petrified statue in the ruins of Metropolis, and you, a wandering soul."

I winced. "You're wrong. I brought on the end of the world. It's Robin who saved all of us, in the end."

Superman gave a rather dignified snort. "I don't know which Dick Grayson you met, because the one I know doesn't have any kind of magic powers. Shoulder the blame, if you must, but don't neglect the credit. Dick may have sought you out, and brought you back, but that heroic heart is yours, and yours alone."

He floated up to me, pushing back my hood. "We all make mistakes, Rachel. It's not a trait the humans can claim for themselves. The only thing we can do is try to make up for them, and I think you've already done that."

Kal-El put his arms around me. I had always imagined his flesh to be as solid as steel, but the Kryptonian was just as soft and warm as a regular human. I didn't _quite_ return the hug, shocked at his sudden outpouring of support, but he didn't seem to care.

I looked at his eyes. "I don't deserve this."

"Too bad. You're getting it anyway. Now, come on. We've got a meeting."

I raised an eyebrow as he let me go. "Where are we going?"

He chuckled. "That's right, I forget you're not a telepath. So many of those these days. You know the way to the Batcave, right?"

* * *

 **The title of this chapter could not have been more appropriate, if I do say so myself. Many of you have been calling for it, and I think Raven has earned it: catharsis. So much has been stacked against her in this story; the League mostly scorns her, her peers don't trust her, and even her former significant other can't seem to get over himself. Add to that the fact that Rage had a hand on her steering wheel, and this chapter happened. It also happens to be some catharsis for myself, finally continuing this and a bunch of other stories.**

 **Until next time!**


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